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I know, this may come as a huge shock. It did to me and my family however, I just want to plainly and simply explain that I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and I know that He has a very specific plan for me.

I won’t go into much detail other than to state that missions are hard but oh so worth every second of it. I sacrificed a career, relationships, friends, family, everything I had to offer the world to go and do the things the Lord has commanded me to do and everything I have to offer to God. As in my first blog post explaining why I decided to serve I will add in my testimony that I know this church is true. With all of my heart. I know that Heavenly Father knows each and every one of us personally and loves us so so much. I know that Jesus Christ established his church here upon a rock foundation. I know firmly that Christ’s church has been restored here again on this earth through the Prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he has felt my pains and afflictions. I know that I am not alone. My mission has blessed my family in so many ways and I am so eternally grateful for that. Nothing short of a miracle 🙂

In Mark 12 it talks about the Widow’s Mite. “41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

In Genesis 22 it talks about Abraham and his son, Isaac. “9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;”

“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life” (3 Nephi 5:13).

I am so incredibly and humbly blessed to have served a great mission and to be back home.

I am so blessed to have had the unconditional love and support from you all. Especially those who wrote and emailed me 🙂 May God bless you and your families forever.

10Okay, so I have a few interesting stories for you all but first, if you haven’t checked out #princeofpeace yet please watch it! It’s 2 minutes and 30 seconds!

So, it has been six weeks which means I either stay here in Boise for another six weeks or I get transferred to another area in Idaho! Roll the drums *bbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdb*

I’m staying in Boise! Woo! I love the area and the people are amazing to work with. Recently we’ve been getting a lot of doors shut in our faces but it’s okay, we still love them. We get told a lot that we are “bold” and “courageous” for doing what we do. Well, yeah! 18 months of our lives are dedicated to being bold and courageous and literally talking to every single person that walks in our direction!

So I have seen so many blessings with the #princeofpeace initiative and sharing messages about Jesus Christ.

1) We are meeting with a part-member family (a household with a member of the church and a non-member) and we shared the #princeofpeace video. It intrigued the non-member so much that we decided to also watch the principles of peace. Because of how awesome our Media department is and it was the right place and right time- we have a new investigator! He’s been investing in the church for a couple years but he is a devout Catholic so he never wanted to meet with the missionaries but he’s supportive of his wife who is a member of the church. He goes to church with her every single Sunday and I think he’s considered a “dry-mormon” aka a person who does everything that mormons do except isn’t baptized or something like that, I don’t know I’m still new. ANYWAYS, their excited to start meeting with us and we’re excited to teach the lessons 🙂

2) We are meeting with a member who is starting to come back to church and we read the Book of Mormon with her once a week. As we were listening to her and discern her needs my companion and I knew that reading the Book of Mormon right now wouldn’t have a big effect on her at the moment so we decided to share a message from Matthew. “14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We reminded her that everyone has the light of Christ in them and to let her good works shine before everyone she meets. Turns out her Caregiver was listening to the message and told us “that was exactly what I needed to hear today.” She then started to tell us how she used to go to the LDS church but stopped going for some reason and thinks it’s “now the right time to go back.” But she had a lot of questions, of course. My companion and I decided to ask if she would like to start taking the lessons and hearing from us once a week. She said “yes, I think that is what I’m supposed to do.”

WHAT

IS THE REAL LIFE

TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS?!

The church is SO true and that this is His church! I’m so grateful for the unexpected missionary opportunities and that we’re able to share a message with those who’s hearts are ready to hear it. It’s the little things, ya know 🙂

You’ll notice it has nothing to do with the LDS or the Mormons. It has everything to do with the reason why we celebrate Easter- the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You may not be religious or you may very much be but there is one thing that we all have it common and that is the phrase “life is hard.” When Jesus Christ was sent down to this earth, he had one very specific purpose- to save us, help us, love us, lead us.

Life is hard and the trials we go through are not easy. Nor is it easy to recoup from those events but Jesus Christ felt those pains, afflictions, and sufferings you have felt. He never raised a sword, never took spoils, never defeated dragons but the one thing he defeated that no one else could or would was death. Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of finding peace through trials. When he was lifted up on the cross in agony, he focused on joy. Having peace knowing that when we leave this earth, we will be resurrected just as He was. He truly is our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

Real life experience of normal people experiencing their biggest trial and how there were able to find peace. I encourage you all to share one of these videos on facebook for me 🙂 You never know who is going to watch it and really need to hear it 🙂

I leave my testimony with you all that Jesus Christ is our brother, savior, redeemer. I cannot think of a greater love from a brother who took upon himself the pains and sins of the world just so we wouldn’t have to do it alone. I love what my savior has done for me but especially, I love the selfless act he has done for everyone that I love and adore.

I love you all:) Oh and it other news- I’ve officially been in Idaho for a month now 🙂

He’s tatted up from head to toe and has been on probation for about 8 years now and won’t be done until 2020. He was baptized in the Nazarene Church. When we approached him, he already had a Book of Mormon and read it because he saw the word “soberness” in it. He agreed to let us share a message and teach him. I didn’t arrive in the field until lesson 2 which is the Plan of Salvation. Might I add, this was the first investigator/lesson taught post-MTC. He understood it and he started to re-read the Book of Mormon but with real intent. He read up until Alma 50 when I met him. We talked about the example Jesus Christ sent by being baptized and he asked “I already followed his example because I’m already baptized back in the Nazarene church.” We had to explain to him that yes he was baptized but not by the proper authority (the priesthood aka power of God). He understood that’s why our church is different from the others.

I also taught the third lesson which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I also extended the invitation for him to be baptized. AND HE SAID YES. UH. WHAT JUST HAPPENED. My companion and I just looked at each other with SO much excitement but Russ was even more excited. He understood that He has to be baptized by the proper authority! We extended it for April 22nd but because he’s on parole, we have to write an appeal to Salt Lake City. We have to tell him that the process might take weeks or months but we have to encourage him to be patient and as he prepares to be baptized that he will see the hand of God in his life. We promised him a blessing that the Gospel will help him improve the quality of his life and only benefit him as he relies on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I’m so cute on this bike…
My favorite kids here in the mission. The Himle Family<3

So this will be my last email from Provo, Utah because Wednesday, March 1st I’ll be flying to Boise, Idaho!!!!! I’m SOOOO excited to get out on the field the practice what we’ve been taught to preach here at the MTC (missionary training center).

Here at the MTC we have something called the Training Resource Center (TRC) and there are real investigators/members that act so we can practice teaching lessons and stuff. One of our Investigators name is Peet. She’s from Thailand and is here in Provo learning English. I have no idea if she’s a member but my comp (companion) and I treat her as a real investigator. On Wed, my comp and I weren’t really feeling the spirit so we just kinda planned to read about baptism in 2 Nephi 31 with her. We already taught her The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ so we were like why not. We had already challenged her to get baptized but she said she’ll pray about it. Anyways, we went in feeling super exhausted and drained but I decided to just listen to Peet for once and discover what her needs are and why she is meeting with the missionaries. I found out that she wants to develop faith but she doesn’t know how. Before I knew it, I grabbed my Book of Mormon and turned to Moroni 7 which talks about faith. I showed my comp and she nodded her head. We went in reading Moroni 7 and I can’t really remember the rest but it was an out of body experience because the Holy Ghost taught the ENTIRE lesson. I’m just kinda sitting there not knowing what’s going on and my mouth is speaking words but it’s not mine. All of the sudden Peet is about to cry and I’m like holy crap are we about to baptize this girl?! After the lesson I turn to my comp and said “yikes. what just happened?!” and she goes “sister. that was the spirit. I was just watching you amazed.”

I testify that baptism is the only way to access the fullness of The Atonement. After you get baptized you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, who guides you, testifies to you the truthfulness of the gospel, and comforts you. It’s such a beautiful gift to have when life gets a little dreary. I know that this church is SO true and that missionary work is the work of God. That we are His instruments. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know you personally and they love you all dearly. They want you to find joy in this life and after this life. They want to you to continue on the strait and narrow path to the gate of Heaven to live with Him and your family forever.

Pretty short update but I will be replying to your individual emails shortly!

What’s the difference between a prison and the MTC?
Your family can visit you. (ba dum tsssssssss)

I’ve officially made it to a full week here at the MTC and A LOT has happened.

I can now teach The Restoration and The Plan Of Salvation which is really cool. I have two amazing investigators who have been accepting our invitations to pray and come to church which is AWESOME. Since my last email, it has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. My companion and I couldn’t get a flow of things until Tuesday and now we’re teaching by the spirit which is sweet, I’ve received two blessings in 48 hours because I was so overwhelmed I didn’t think I was going to make it out of here, and the 16 hour days are killer but I finally got the hang of it! I’m pretty eager to go to Idaho now 🙂

A couple things I noticed about the MTC-
The food is actually pretty good most of the time, my favorite is the salmon salad.
The Creamery ice cream rocks my socks.
Every corner you turn, there is a companionship praying #blessed.
It’s really weird seeing the whitest guys speak Manderin.
I’ve never felt so Asian here before- people here do treat me differently because they assume I don’t speak English LOL.

Not much else but continue to PLEASE email/mail me, I love knowing what everyone else is up to and I live vicariously through you guys! It’s a great pick me up when you are stuck with the same people everyday or the planned lessons are not going as planned.
(I can read emails and mail everyday but I can’t respond until Fridays)

I want to share a quick verse with you all:
Ether 12:27
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

The MTC is HARD work spiritually and I have realized I’m weak but through the grace of God and through many many prayers, He has strengthened me to press forward. I know that Heavenly Father blessed me with all of you who continue to support me and He loves you all SO MUCH. He knows you personally and is always anxiously awaiting for you to talk to Him and tell him what has been on your mind. I can assure you that as a witness of God, He will answer your questions and comfort you through the His spirit. Recognize the peace and calm after you ponder and pray. I can testify that these things are true because I do this formula in Ether 12:27 every single day.

Continue to press forward! I love you all! Thank you for your prayers, letters, and support 🙂

First and foremost- I have no time to write right now so I will make this a little short and I will use bullet points!

1. I HAVE A MISSIONARY NAME TAG. I AM GOOD TO GO.
2. MTC is kicking my butt but (haha butts) it is uplifting my spirit.
3. I miss you all so badly
4. My district is AWESOME
5. I have cried more in the past two days compared to my 21 years of existence
6. I am the oldest one here but people still think I am 12. YEAH SO GREAT.
7. I love you all
8. I am grateful for the support I have been given, I can tell you right now I can feel your prayers.

I cannot say this enough but I want everyone to know how much Heavenly Father loves me but most importantly, you.
I have learned so much as a set apart full time Missionary about preparing for the mission here at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). You can feel the spirit SO highly here it’s a little overwhelming but it’s keeping me going. There have been times where I just wanted to quit because I felt so weak but because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the spirit (aka bff) they have kept me going. I also have never prayed so much in one day before. We literally pray before doing ANYTHING (i.e. gym, daily planning, personal planning, companionship planning, eating, class). Anyways, I have to wrap this up but I promise a longer email next Friday 🙂

Continue to keep me in your prayers that I can make it through the next three weeks!

I’ll a short testimony with you all-
I know that this church is true, I have felt the spirit testify that to me. I have never been so grateful for baptism which lead me to receive the spirit. I’m so grateful to have access to the atonement and feel closer to my savior, Jesus Christ. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me and all of us. I know that He loves us so much he sent His only begotten son to bleed from every pour and die for us on the cross so that we may have eternal life and may live with Him and our families together for eternity.

I will talk to you all next Friday 🙂

(for personal emails I have read ALL of them and I promise to respond to them next Friday as well!) Here are pictures!

(I would like to warn everyone that I am in no way a writer or grammatically correct most of the time so please excuse the many errors you’ll run in to)

“My purpose as a missionary is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them to receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end”

I get many questions asking why I would leave my friends, family, career, relationship, hobbies, music, the list can go on and on for the next eighteen months to serve? The answer is quite simple. I have no idea.

I’m just kidding (this is my sense of humor). I have many reasons why I want to serve. I’ll list the more prominent ones!

Pure and utter service to the Lord

He gave his up for me so the least I can do is give eighteen months of mine.

Friends & Family

My best friends are either currently serving or have returned from their missions. Being surrounded by that, it was hard to not want the same experiences and blessings they received by serving. Thank you for rubbing of on me.

My family is the only family that are members and within that family only some of us are active in the church. I know how much the light of Christ has changed my life and I want to be able to show that to my family members who are no longer familiar with it. Being able to preach the gospel is great practice for that.

I have a testimony of the love our Heavenly Father and His greatest gift to the world- His Son, Jesus Christ, and his atoning sacrifice that I want to share with the people of Idaho

So for those of you who aren’t familiar with any of these terms let me start from the very beginning. In a few weeks, I will be called Sister De Vera meaning “missionary” or “a witness of God.” I have been called to serve in the Idaho Boise mission which covers southern Idaho (i.e. from Boise to Idaho Falls) for the next eighteen months. I am leaving behind my friends, family, career, education, relationship, rap music, social media, my mother’s cooking, etc to humbly serve the Lord. I’ll be preaching the gospel in the English language and broken, grammatically incorrect English because my brain thinks faster than I can speak. I’ll be wearing a name tag that says “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” which is the Mormon church. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. (1st Article of Faith) We believe that Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ coinciding with the Bible. We also believe the Prophet Joseph Smith restored the gospel here on this earth after Christ’s passing.

So I wasn’t always super active in the Mormon church. I lived a regular middle school, high school, and college life. I realized that the things I did was because other people were doing it.Fun fact: In college no one cares anymore, it’s great.

At the time only half of my family was active in the church and I had a lot of friends who didn’t hang around together during school. I just lived my life the way I “wanted” to live it and how other people were living it because at the time it seem like they were happy. It wasn’t until I went through my hardest trial back in October 2015. I was sad, empty, lonely, weird, and not anything like myself. All of the usual stuff that would make me “happy” didn’t make me happy anymore. I was so heartbroken that I would reach out to anything to not feel this pain anymore. One day in January 2016, I hear this faint voice whisper “Hey, you should go to church.” So I did and I never looked back. Once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up right? Basically, the gospel has been very very good for me. I can now see all the blessings in my trials. I hope to help others realize them too.

I have met people who have changed my life, I gained my own personal relationship and testimony of Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. I developed an understanding of the gospel that made sense in my head. Most importantly, I’ve been shown a more permanent type of happiness.

On February 8th, I report to the Provo, Utah Missionary Training Center (MTC) for a few weeks and then shipped off to Idaho. I don’t know where specifically but I’ll find out when I get there 😀

Find Me

Idaho Boise Mission1111 So Cole RdBoise, ID. 83709-1869

Emailcheyenne.de.vera@myldsmail.net

About Sister De Vera

Hello!
My name is Cheyenne De Vera but for the next eighteen months I will be known as Sister De Vera:) I am called to humbly serve in the Idaho Boise Mission from 2017-2018 and to seek those who would want to listen to this tiny asian woman. I'm very excited to be a witness of our loving Heavenly Father and share my testimony of His love. I hope you join me on this journey! With love, Sister De Vera